| Home > Nevada > Old Sheep Ranch |
Saturday, May 10, 2025
| Other Names | Buckeye Rd, Minden, E. Valley Rd, Buckeye Creek, Dangberg Dam, Williams Canyon Well, Uhadi Well, Pine Nut Valley, Sunrise Pass Rd |
| Last Known Status | Open |
This area offers about 15 miles of fire roads, a few side trails, and a very long sand wash. You won't find many challenges here (unless it snows!) but if you stay on the main power-line road it will take you to the old sheep ranch which has a shady spot by the creek and makes a nice resting point. The alternative is to follow the sand wash which eventually leads up into the mountains. Either way you'll have to navigate around a fair amount of private property and some confusing fenced areas, which are scattered throughout the area. Bottom line - a nice change of scenery, but there are some much better places to ride in the area.
| Permit Required | Yes | NVOHV sticker required |
| Dates Open | Year-Round | |
| Other ATV Stickers Accepted | Yes | Nevada registration is not required if the vehicle is already registered in another state and will be located in Nevada for no more than 15 days. |
| Spark Arrestor | Yes | A spark arresting exhaust silencer or end cap is required for all vehicles. |
| Noise Limit | Yes (96 dB) | |
| Whip Flags | Not Required | |
| Maximum Vehicle Width | No Restriction | |
Motorcycles & Dirt Bikes | Permitted | |
ATVs | Permitted | |
UTV & SXS | Permitted | |
SUVs & Jeeps (registered) | Permitted | |
| Dune Buggy & Sand Rail 4x4 (unregistered) | Permitted | |
| 2 Stroke Engines | No Restriction | |
Camping | No Restriction | (camp anywhere) |
Campfires | No Restriction | |
| Night Riding | Yes | Not Recommended |
| Trail Blazing | Prohibited | keep on designated trails |
| Alcohol | No Restriction | |
| Rule Enforcement | None | |
| Comment | most roads and trails have private property signs on one or both sides | |
| Approx Size | 15,360 acres (24 sq mi) | |
| Miles Of Trail | 20 | |
| Climate Type | Desert | |
| Elevation | 5000 to 7000 ft. | |
| Trail Maintenance | Not Marked, Not Rated, Not Maintained | |
| Loose Dirt | Little | |
| Hard Pack | Some | |
| Sand | Mostly | |
| Mud | Little | |
| Dust | Some | |
| Rocks | Little | |
| Trees | Some | |
| Steep Hills | Few | |
| Water Crossings | None | |
| Small Jumps | None | |
| Large Jumps | None | |
| Berms | None | |
| Sand/Gravel Pits | None | |
| Single Track | Few | |
| Roads | Mostly | many sand washes |
| Intersections | Few | |
| Rider Traffic | Few | |
| Shade | Few | |
| Ranges/Gunfire | Few | |
| Hazards | Few | (hazards not marked) ravines & deep washouts |
Novice | Mostly | |
Amateur | Little | |
Expert | None |
| Area | Motorized Trails |
| Land | BLM, Power Lines |
Gasoline | 1-5 Miles (W) | Star Mart (775) 623-9879 |
Diesel | 1-5 Miles (W) | Minden |
Water | 1-5 Miles (W) | Minden |
RV Hookup | 5-20 Miles (W) | Carson Valley RV Resort (800) 321-6983 |
RV Disposal | 5-20 Miles (W) | Carson Valley RV Resort (800) 321-6983 |
Campground | 5-20 Miles (W) | Zephyr Cove RV Park & Campground (775) 589-4907 |
Conv Store | 1-5 Miles (S) | Smiths Food & Drug (775) 782-0155 |
| Parking | (None) |
| Entry | (None) |
| Riding | (None) |
| Camping | (None) |
| Pros | secluded, free, decent scenery |
| Cons | mostly roads, dry river wshes, too much private land, dispersed |
| Our Rating | Fair |
| Recommended Stay | Half Day late spring |
| Comments | (Scroll Down For Rider Reviews & Comments) |
| Nearest City | Minden, NV | ||
| From: Carson City, NV
1) Take I-395 South toward Minden (approx. 15 miles) 2) Turn left (east) on Buckeye Road and continue approx. 3 1/2 miles 3) Turn left on E. Valley Road and continue approx. 1 mile 4) Turn right on the powerline lined dirt road* (largest double-pole power lines) 5) Stage anywhere along this road - (continue along this same road to the trails). *Note: The powerline road is currently where the smooth paved road changes to a more roughly paved road, however there is a lot of new development going on in this area, so things may be somewhat different than described. |
| Contact Info | BLM - Carson City District Office 5665 Morgan Mill Road Carson City, NV 89701 (775) 885-6000 blm_nv_ccdowebmail@blm.gov www.blm.gov |

Um... that's an interesting style. There are just a couple of muddy sections like this in the spring.

Woops, maybe a little too early in the spring. We made a valient effort though.

The sand washes are deep and exhausting, but the main hard-pack trail and the wash run mostly parallel, so you can choose.

The tree lined sand wash was a blast. Wish we had brought the two-strokes.
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